Fourteen phones with SIM cards allegedly registered with names of top government officials were reportedly recovered from the suspects .

Among those impersonated by the syndicate , according to the police , are Chief of Staff to the President , Abba Kyari; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Moguno ; the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibeh Kachukwu ; and the Minister of Finance, Mrs . Kemi Adeosun .

They were also accused of impersonating a national leader of the All Progressives Congress , Asiwaju Bola Tinubu ; the Senate President , Bukola Saraki; the Minister of Transport , Rotimi Amaechi; and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation , Babachir Lawal .

PUNCH Metro learnt that operatives of the Inspector – General of Police , led by ACP Abba Kyari, trailed the syndicate to a hotel in Kaduna State on Tuesday , after receiving complaints from some victims .

A police source disclosed to one of our correspondents that the suspects impersonated Moguno to collect N 13 m from a Ghanaian , who wanted to get an oil block in Nigeria , and posed as Lawal to swindle one Nnamdi Udo of N4 m under false pretences of helping him to get a federal appointment .

“ They also posed as the Chief of Staff to the President and collected N2 . 5 m from one Mr . Bishop , who was looking for a contract , and another N700 , 000 from one Shehu Dan Yahaya , who was seeking a federal appointment .

“ Ogogo , a native of Omoku Rivers State , impersonated prominent citizens from the South – South and South – East ; Eragbe impersonated prominent persons from the North ; Oshamoto posed as prominent citizens from the South – West and North -Central ; while Idah supplied them SIM cards registered with the names of the top government officials .

“ They were arrested in a luxury hotel in Kaduna and had confessed to impersonating several prominent citizens , ” the source added .

Another senior police officer disclosed to PUNCH Metro that the suspects confessed to have realised N20 m in six months from their criminal activities.

He added that the mastermind of the gang was based in the United Kingdom .

He said , “ Ogogo is their leader ; but they mentioned one Prince Maurice , based in the UK, as their gang leader . Fourteen different phones, several registered SIM cards, and a diary containing phone numbers of several top government officials, were recovered from the suspects .

“ Ogogo further confessed that they had made over N20 m from their criminal activities within the last six months. ”

Parading the suspects on Thursday in Abuja , the police spokesman , Jimoh Moshood , said all the suspects confessed to the crime.

He said , “On March 23 , 2017 , the Intelligence Response Team arrested these notorious criminals who posed as top government functionaries .

“The four- man syndicate , led by one ‘ High Chief’ Ovie Ogogo , was arrested in a hotel in Kaduna State . All the suspects confessed to the crime and admitted to have impersonated several prominent citizens and made over N20 m within the last six months. ”

The police said other suspects would soon be arrested , while those in custody would be arraigned in court at the conclusion of investigation .
Source: The Punch

Stale news. Eighty-one political parties have filed applications before INEC seeking to be registered as political parties. The more the merrier, right? Arguably.We should be jumping for joy, right? Well, it is inadvisable for those in my age bracket to jump. We grin in the somnolent feeling that we are making real progress in watering the sapling of our democracy.

Political pluralism is one of the sacred cardinal principles of democracy. Arguably, the more political parties, the more pluralistic the system; the more pluralistic the system, the greater the freedom to roam among the political parties in search of the jokers among the serious.

It is not difficult to see why the political party field is teaming with aspiring new political parties. After all, it is no secret that the 2019 general elections are a couple of years away. INEC has already issued the time table. This is the time to horse trade and re-align political interests ahead of the elections. It is the nature of the game.

New political parties are always welcome to the crowded field, especially by those whose political ideology blows in the wind. Still, new political parties have the chance to (a) become the much sought after beautiful brides to be wooed by the existing political parties a la the great Zik or (b) make a fool of themselves with a brief appearance on the political scene only to end up on the shelf of history.

Al right, this is democracy. The law permits everyone who wishes to form a political party to do so. The right of the individual politician to carve out his own political stage on which he may be the bit player, is a given. Mushroom political parties are usually the comic aside in serious politicking. They bay at the moon.

Let us get this straight. The burgeoning political parties have nothing to do with the genuine promotion of political pluralism. They are positively deleterious to political pluralism, whatever might be their nuisance value. My take is that their emergence is evidence of the poor appreciation by the politicians of the cocktail of challenges we face in nurturing our democracy and making sense of a) the way we play politics; b) the nature of our party politics; c) and the fact that the bickering among the politicians is not democracy in action. It is primitive politics in action.

This country does not need a multiplicity of political parties in the name of democracy. What we need are two strong national political parties able to accommodate all ideologies on the political spectrum. Our tortuous political history shows that we have always had the tendency to coalesce around the two-party system. General Ibrahim Babangida understood this. In his transition to civil rule programme, he formally and legally imposed the two-party system on the country with one party a little to the left and the other a little to the right. He thus put the lid on the multiplicity of political parties.

The Social Democratic Party, SDP, was a little to the left to accommodate leftist politicians; the National Republican Convention, NRC, was a little to the right and thus arguably the party of right-leaning politicians. What he did defied the conventional birth of political parties. The politicians were simply ordered to join one or the other of the two parties. It was a military order. No one needed to be persuaded that the order must be obeyed. I think his understanding of the nature of our party politics was sound but his military method was politically defective.

The world has moved on. The one-party system has since become blasé. The two-party system is now the in-thing the world over. Our gravitation towards the two-party system has always been fraught with ego problems among our politicians. I think politicians have the biggest egos in the world. If we ever get there, to our political Eldorado, that is, it would be a long walk through the mountains, the valleys and the thickets of ego, large, medium and small.

Getting there is one of our biggest political challenges today. But I am afraid the leaders of APC and PDP do not seem to appreciate the role of their political parties in taking us there. The toeing and froing of politicians from one failed political party to the political party the gods favoured in one election circle is evidence of the instability in our political party system. But it can be arrested – if the political leaders appreciate the place of party politics in governance and democracy. A political party system that does nothing more noble than fostering bread and butter politics, now cynically referred to as stomach infrastructure, can only talk of good governance as mere abstract propaganda.

As I see it, one immediate challenge our political parties face is the critical issue of ideologies. It is amazing that we have come this far without political ideologies. Political parties are fuelled by ideologies. They drive party programmes and national development. Political parties make sales pitch on what they stand for. Their ideologies either draw us to them or repel us from them. We join political parties without knowing what they stand for because, and I say this with a heavy heart, they stand for nothing other than the ambition to grab the levellers of political power and thus determine who gets what in sharing stomach infrastructural facilities.

I have tried to remember the last time I read a party manifesto. I have repeatedly drawn a blank. People – the presidents and state governors – are elected on the platform of political parties. Their duty is to implement the party manifesto in order to win the support of the people at each round of the electoral circle. The last time we saw this happen was in the Second Republic. The UPN was a very good example. Its state governors assiduously implemented the party manifesto in education, industrial development, energy and employment.

That kind of disciplined approach to national development driven by a political party is now trapped in the maws of our history. In our current situation, the political parties are not even in control of their elected officials. State governors decide what to do, even if doing runs counter to the interests of their political parties. Legislators do what they like without sparing a thought for the fate of their political parties in the next round of elections.

I think the time has come for us to demand to know what our political parties stand for. What does APC stand for in our national development paradigm? What does PDP stand for and how does it relate this to its dream of a better country and better people?

We, the people, must interrogate them. It is important for us to know what they stand for. Only so can we know or appreciate their present and future plans for our national development. The business of a political party is not just to win elections. Its primary responsibility is to help define national development and point the country in the direction it should go.

Prospective candidates in the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) yesterday protested in Makurdi against their inability to register for the examination.The candidates blocked some major roads with bonfire as they marched to the JAMB office located along Inner Ring Road. They also took their protest to the governor’s office at Benue People’s House.

The protesters threw stones at the JAMB office before mobile policemen dispersed them.The Guardian learnt that they resorted to the protest because they could not process their registration at the Computer Based Test centres (CBTs) due to insufficient facilities.

The protesters urged the Federal Government to revert to the old system of registration due to the stress associated with the new method.The state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Dennis Ityavyar, who addressed them at the Government House, urged the JAMB Registrar to open more centres to enable them to register for the examination.

Also, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof. Anthony Ijor appealed to them to be calm and promised to address their grievances.But, a senior JAMB official, Samuel Umoro, who admitted that there were some hitches, advised them to be patient, as all prospective candidates would be registered.

Meanwhile, 12 days into the registration, a CBT centre administrator, Adekunle Banjo, has appealed to the JAMB to extend the deadline for registration.Banjo, who owns, Bafuto Institute of Management and Information Technology, Egbe, Lagos, said the call became necessary due to the initial hitches associated with pin vending and the fact that some prospective candidates were currently writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Investigations by The Guardian in Lagos revealed that it takes three to seven days for a candidate to be fully registered, depending on the efficiency of the server and the internet.

However, the board has described the report titled “JAMB Dump CBT, adopt eight keys,” published in one of the national dailies as a misinterpretation of information presented by the board’s registrar.

The Director of Information, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, in a statement made available to The Guardian said the board “would continue all its examinations with the CBT mode, as it was already consolidating on the gains earlier recorded.

According to Benjamin, the headline was not only misleading, but capable of causing panic, distortion and confusion in the minds of Nigerians,particularly the candidates planning to take the UTME examination of a well conceived CBT examination, which the board was consolidating on the gains and feat recorded.

The controversy sparked by a comment recently made by fuji star , Wasiu Ayinde K 1 de Ultimate , is still raging as a former aide of the late Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, Mr . Dayo Odeyemi, has challenged Wasiu on the claim he made .

At a forum organised by Goldberg , where scholars and critics spoke on the progress that juju and fuji have made , Wasiu had, among other points , noted that the word ‘ fuji ’ originated from Lagos Island , from sayings such as ‘ faaji ’ , ‘ fuji ’ and buruji .

This ran contrary to the opinion of other participants that included Prof . Tunde Babawale , Mr . Hakeem Adenekan and a younger brother of the late Ayinde Barrister , Mr . Kayode Balogun , who all tended to credit the deceased with the origination of the word .

But while Wasiu gave Barrister credit for his ( Barrister) immense contribution to the growth of fuji , he warned that history should not be manipulated .

Since he made the statement at the event held at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja , Lagos , however , many of Barrister’ s acolytes have been criticising him , with some of the fans saying he was undermining Barrister, who was said to be his former boss .

In a statement by Barrister ’ s former Spokesperson , he noted that Wasiu ’ s claim was far from the truth.

He said , “After due consultation with the family , friends and fans of the fuji music creator , the late Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, it becomes imperative for me as his spokesman and a veteran entertainment journalist , who has written three different books on the history of Nigerian music , to make an official statement on the outburst of Wasiu Ayinde Anifowose , alias Fuji King , on the creation of fuji .

“ Wasiu Ayinde was reported to have at a forum in Lagos chided his mentor , Alhaji Sikiru Ayinde Barister ( MFR) , insinuating that he was not the creator of fuji music , equating ‘ faaji ’ and ‘ fuja’ to fuji music .

“ He dismissed the popular notion and statement of the founding father of fuji music that the word fuji was derived from the Japanese Mountain of Love .

“ He was also reported to have claimed that he single – handedly gave Barrister a befitting burial in response to a promise he made to him before he died .

These statements are most unfortunate as well as laughable . It is also a flagrant display of arrogance and naivety on his part. This is because he was never a part of the history of fuji creation as the music itself was seven years old as of the time he came into music under the tutelage of Ayinde Barister in 1974 .

“ Perhaps , I should make it clear that Wasiu Ayinde , who is claiming to know much about fuji, joined the Barrister Organisation in 1974 . As of that time , Barrister had released 19 solid albums including two singles and one extended play . By calculation , if we subtract 1967 when Barister released his first fuji record titled Waya Rabi from 1974 when Wasiu joined his organisation as a packer, the gap is seven years , meaning that fuji music is seven years older than Wasiu Ayinde. ”

Odeyemi added that between 1966 and 1980 when Wasiu released his first album after leaving the Barrister Organisation in 1978 / 1979 , Barrister had released 38 long playing records .

He also challenged Wasiu on his claim that he promised Barrister a befitting burial and eventually gave it to him .

According to Odeyemi, it was the Lagos State Government under the leadership of former Governor Babatunde Fashola that footed the bill of the burial , through a burial committee headed by one of Barrister’ s legendary fans , Alhaji Buhari Oloto .

Efforts to reach Wasiu on Thursday did not yield fruits . He has , however , said in an interview that he would not trade words with those who were not comfortable with the statements he made at the forum , because , according to him , he had spoken the truth.
Source: The Punch

A High Court in Ilorin , the Kwara State capital , presided over by Justice H . Saleeman on Thursday sentenced three persons to death by hanging for armed robbery and attempting to commit culpable homicide against a professor with the University of Ilorin , Prof . Abdullahi Onimisi .

The Kwara State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr . Kamalden Ajibade , who led the prosecution, had told the court that the professor disengaged the service of Esan due to his unruly behaviour .

Ajiade added that Esan was aggrieved with his dismissal and organised a robbery attack to retaliate the sack.

Esan , in his confession to the police , was said to have owned up that he recruited Musa and Ajiboye from Lagos State to deal with his former boss .

Ajibade said , “ On September 10 , 2016 , at the Senior Staff Quarters, University of Ilorin, the accused, while armed with weapons, including guns and machetes , robbed Onimisi and his family of their property , including a car , handsets , jewellery , and other valuables . ”
Source: The Punch

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A man , Taiwo Olubayode , has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment with hard labour and without an option of fine by a Family Court sitting at Oke- Eda, Akure , the Ondo State capital .

The 56 – year- old man was convicted for impregnating his 16 – year- old daughter (name withheld ) at Oke-Ijebu street, Odode- Idanre in Idanre Local Government Area of the state which is also in the Akure Magisterial District .

The convict , who was brought before the court by Nigeria Security And Civil Defence Corps, was charged on one count of having incestuous behaviour with a 16 – year – old girl .

The offence , according to the prosecutor , was contrary to and punishable under sections 31 ( 1 ) and 31 ( 2 ) of the Ondo State Child’ s Right law of Nigeria Security And Civil Defence Corps 2007 .

Olubayode pleaded not guilty to the charge on his first arraignment but he was later found guilty by the family court .

The NSCDC prosecuting officer Mr Ebriku David told the court that the victim and her boss came to report her father in the NSCDC ’ s office in Idanre , when it was discovered that the girl was pregnant.

According to him , the case was transferred to Akure division , where the victim informed the command that her father was responsible for the pregnancy .

David also told the court that the convict had earlier confessed at the NSCDC office that he committed the offence .

In her ruling , the magistrate , Mrs O . A Edwin said the Olubayode was guilty of the offence and sentenced him to nine years imprisonment with hard labour without an option of fine .

The magistrate said it was a shame and act of high immorality for the convict to be having an incestuous affair with his own daughter.Source: The Punch